Warriors of the Mirror
by kittygirl2010
Summary: The story of a young Shura and her friends, who due to a terrible event in their village, must embark on a journey to solve the mysteries of a sapphire stone pendent.What mysteries lie within the sapphire stone?
1. Quest 1: Beginnings Part 1

**(Hello everyone! I"m doing a Dream of Mirror Online story with my own little twist! The first two chapters will kind of be filler ones because of characher introductions and such. I hope you all enjoy my story and I hope to update it as often as possible. Well, here's the first chapter you guys! Enjoy! ^.^)**

**Quest 1**

_"Beginnings"_

**Part 1**

A loud scream erupts in the night and a young Shura girl is running for her life. She ran and ran until she couldn't run anymore. Her lungs felt tight with every breath she took, full of fear and panic. She makes her way to the back when she realizes it's a dead end. She squeezed herself behind a small crate, praying that it wouldn't find her. Suddenly she heard a deep, demonic growl behind her.

*Oh no he found me!* She thought to herself. She turned around sharply and saw a pair of sharp claws coming straight at her! All turned black and she was engulfed in darkness.

**Reya's Bedroom**

**Morning**

"NOOOOO!" Reya jumped up to find herself in her room, drenched in sweat. She then realized that it was a dream and sighed in relief. The door slung open really fast, startling her! "Aaah..." she leans to the side in surprise and...SMACK! Face plants to the floor. She slid out of the bed and picked herself up.

"Ow...that really hurt." Rubbing her face she looked up to see her Aunt Maron looking down at her all shocked and out of breath. Her Aunt Maron was human, which was no surprise because her father was a human. She was all that was left alive to take care of Reya, if her Aunt Maron died, she would be alone.

"Are you alright dear? I heard you scream a minute ago and came running as fast as I could." she asked with a concerned look.

Reya gave her a cold stare as she quickly got off the floor.

"Are you crazy! You scared the hell out of me! Aside from that, didn't we talk about knocking before entering someone's room?" Reya yelled in protest.

Aunt Maron totally ignored her with a smile and changed the subject.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. You don't want to be late for graduation"

"I know, I know"

Aunt Maron left the room humming a tune, leaving Reya alone to get ready for the day. She was really nervous, her last day at the academy...she couldn't believe it! She was finally gonna find out what her job class would be! Once she got dressed into her academy clothes, she looked at the clock again and began to scream about how late she was!

Downstairs, Aunt Maron was putting Reya's food on her plate when she heard "Aaaaaaagh I'm going to be late!" and a bunch of running around noises as she looked up. Then she heard another yell. while hearing noises as if someone was falling down the stairs. Each sound, she blinked her eyes then gave off a concerned look. A drop of sweat appeared under her brow and she gave a nervous chuckle.

Once Reya recuperated herself, she headed for the kitchen. She sat in a chair and ate her breakfast, which consisted of Miso soup and omelet with grilled fish and white rice. She heard the bulletin alarm go off and quickly gulped everything down. She began to rush out while yelling "Bye, see you later" When her aunt called her back. Reya lightly jogged in place looking at her.

"I am so proud of you Reya. Your parents would be proud too. Especially your mother, she attended the same school along with your father and myself." She smiled at her. "Now you should go before your late. Oh and don't forget this..." She took out a beautiful lace handkerchief and took out a beautiful sapphire pendent which glowed and shimmered in the sun's light. "It was your mothers...she told me to give it to you once you were old enough...I thought now was the right time."

As her Aunt Maron put her mother's pendent around her neck, she began to feel sad. Her parents died when she was only five years old by a evil demon named Phoenix...she knew that their world was at war and the only thing keeping Phoenix away from Eversun was her Uncle Theodore and thousands of others from Collington and Darkdale. She wished that her parents were there to see her off on such a special day. She turned around and gave her aunt a smile.

"Well I'm off. See you later." Reya called back to her.

"Have a great day Reya, I love you." she smiled as she waved.

With that Reya ran out and hid her face from the sun's bright rays as it's warm light shined on her. She stretched her arms out above her head and breathed in the fresh summer air.

"Hey, Reya over here!" Reya looked over to see Aiden waving at her. There was a huge crowd standing in front of the bulletin board.

"Hey Aiden!" Reya said with a smile. She began to walk over to him when her foot caught a rock and she lost her balance. She then felt someone's hand grab hers and pull her back. She ended up in someone's embrace and looked up to see Muso, a good friend of hers, standing over her. His hand still grasping hers tightly.

"Are you okay?" He asked with a smile.

She jerked back in surprise and blushed "Y-yeah...I'm okay. Thank you."

"Your lucky I got here when I did, or that would have been one nasty fall." Muso remarked.

"Nothing to worry about Muso, I would have caught her anyway if you weren't here." Aiden calmly put in. Muso gave him a good hit on the head. Aiden fell to the floor, holding his head. "You probably wouldn't have noticed her falling IDIOT!" Muso remarked in a sarcastic, smart ass kind of way. Aiden began to get red in the face and stormed off. He settled himself near a tree and began kicking it in a childish manner. He was also mumbling but neither Reya nor Muso could understand what he was saying.

After Aiden's childish tantrum, Reya soon realized that Muso was still holding her hand. She blushed. It was a little strange that Muso was holding her hand still. Was it possible that he had feelings for her? She wouldn't be surprised if both Muso or Aiden had feelings for her.

She has known them both since she was very little, with the exception of knowing Aiden for a little bit longer. He was there for her when she had constantly cried over her parents death. Probably because Aiden's parents died when they were younger so it was easy for him to help her through the pain. Aiden was a very outgoing person and always thought on the bright side of things. It was his positive attitude that always made her smile and laugh. She met Muso two years after a small civil war broke out in his village close to Darkdale. Muso had always been a shy person in the beginning, probably from the stress of his parents always fighting, but over time he began to open up more. Although lately he had been acting a little strange. Going off to god knows where by himself. He would sometimes be gone for days on end and come back not telling anyone where he was. She just assumed that he just wanted to be alone every now and then so it didn't seem like such a big deal.

"Looks like news of the battle in Swan Lake Basin. I wonder what has happened these past few days?" From the look on Muso's face, it seemed that the news was very grim...maybe even worse than that. However, the real problem was that he was still holding Reya's hand.

"Um...Muso? C-Could you let go of my hand now, people are starting to stare." Reya mumbled with a faint voice.

"Ah...sure..." Muso blushed and jerked his hand away from Reya.

Once Aiden recovered from being hit on the head, they all walked over to the Bulletin Board. Reya clutched her mother's pendent in her hands. She desperately prayed that news of her Uncle and all the other men and women fighting to protect their world would be revealed.

The announcement stated:

**NEWS ALERT!**

**SWAN LAKE BASIN BATTLE CONTINUES! THOUSANDS**

**PRESUMED DEAD, WHILE ENEMIES NUMBERS STILL RISE!**

Following the announcement came a list of the dead. Luckily, Reya's Uncle wasn't among them.

"That damn Phoenix!" Aiden blurted out. "Always killing people for the hell of it! If I was out there I'd give her the old one two!" He began to turn in circles while throwing fake punches.

"Aiden if you were there then you would scream and cry like a little baby." Muso remarked with a smirk.

"Who said I was talking to you...you big idiot!" Aiden yelled with puffed out cheecks and a red face.

"Do you think Phoenix would ever come here Muso?" Reya asked anxiously.

"Probably not...the Eversun Elite Guard would make sure she wouldn't lay one feather in Eversun City. Besides, I don't think there is anything of value in this village. Plus the academy is very well hidden from the enemy no matter how smart any of Phoenixs' lackeys are."

Muso was right, even though Reya knew that there was nothing here for Phoenix to steal, she let out a sigh of relief. However, a small part of her was still very uneasy.

"I guess your right, forget I asked that." Reya remarked. She looked at the time...it was 7:40 and Reya let out a gasp of panic. Aiden and Muso were looking at time on the bulletin board as well.

"Um...guys is that time right?" Reya asked shakily.

"Oh my god! Awww man guys we're gonna be SO late! We need to hurry before the barrier goes up!" Aiden yelled franticly.

They all frantically ran up the hill that led to the academy...Aiden looked back for a moment to see Muso standing still looking up at a nearby tree...he had an eerie smirk on his face.

_**(Well that's the first chapter guys. I apologize that it is so short compared to most things on here but I'll try to make the next one longer, I hope. Plus I also apologize for the kind of filler chapter, I wanted to introduce the main characters in a sort of funny way but I hope you liked it all the same. Look forward to the next chapter.)**_


	2. Quest 2: Beginnings Part 2

_**(Well here is the next one. It is pretty short so don't expect much. I promise my others will be longer and more entertaining. Well enjoy! ^.^)**_

**Quest 2**

_"Beginnings"_

**Part 2**

Aiden, Muso, and Reya ran until they could see Eversun City in the distance, they weren't that far from the entrance to the academy.

Aiden sat himself on a large boulder while breathing heavily. "Guys can we rest for a sec, I've got one hell of a cramp!"

Muso had a peeved expression on his face. "What did I tell you Reya, all the guy does is complain. Let's just leave him." He turned around and began to walk away while pulling Reya with him. Aiden didn't understand what Reya saw in this guy. Reya walked back over to Aiden and held her hand out to him.

"Come on Aiden we're almost there. Just a little longer." she said with a smile.

Aiden had really strong feelings for Reya. He wanted so desperately to tell her how he felt but couldn't find the courage to do it. He got himself up and they made there way to the barrier. They finally made it to the front gate, the large walls wrapping around the campus as they seemed to touch the very sky above them. Reya and Aiden stepped in, but the barrier turned on before Muso could step through. The barrier suddenly began to shock Muso, each time he tried to step through.

"Tch! Damn barrier!" Muso said in disgust.

"Is it because he is late? Reya asked shocked.

"That can't be it, he was with us. Don't worry Muso, we'll talk to the Dean and get them to let you in."

As much as Aiden hated the guy, he still deserved to graduate like everyone else.

Reya smelled the air and turned up her nose.

"Just forget it Aiden, I didn't want to come to graduation anyway. I'm already strong and they know it." Muso remarked with a faint smirk on his face..

"Well aren't you a cocky bastard?" Aiden remarked bluntly.

"Do you guys smell that? It smells like smoke." Reya asked, holding her nose.

"Yeah I do, there probably burning stuff in the city...nothing to worry about." Aiden replied. He let out a light chuckle at the sight of Reya holding her nose. Shura's had a sharp sense of smell so any hint of something could be enough to make a Shura notice.

"Well...I'm going back to the village. Catch you guys later...I guess." Muso began to walk away while waving his hand behind him.

As Reya and Aiden waved to him and continued on to the school, Muso kept walked down the road and began to speak to himself.

"Hehe, damn fools won't know what hit 'em. Queen Phoenix will be very pleased once I cut that pendent off that girls head." Muso's eyes begin to turn a bright amber and a light growl erupted from his throat. He then stalks away toward the village.

**Dean's Office**

"Dean Rivers sir, why do you think that student couldn't get into the barrier? Sir...you don't think he is a..." the Dean's assistant trailed off with a scared expression on his face.

"It is very possible...this is a very serious situation, we must speed up the graduation so the students can get home early...that boy...he may very well be..."

**Academy Auditorium**

**Afternoon- Graduation Ceremony**

Reya and Aiden sat patiently waiting for the Dean to call their names to determine what there job was going to be. So to pass the time, they began to make idle chit chat.

"I wonder why the barrier wouldn't let Muso in? He has been late plenty of times and the barrier still let him through." Reya asked with a worried face.

"Maybe he is a demon come to kill us all! Mwahahahahaha" Aiden said jokingly. Both of them laughed when the Dean spoke.

"Reya of the Shura race"

Reya's name was called and Aiden could tell she was nervous. She got up and made her way to the stage. She sat in a small chair in front of Dean Rivers waiting for his decision about her job.

"Based on your skill, logic, and strength, your job will be..." Reya braced herself for the answer. "Blade master! Congratulations!"

Reya smiled and waved at Aiden.

"Next is Aiden, of the Human race"

The Dean called Aiden next and he sat in the same chair.

"Aiden...based on your skill, logic, and strength, your job will be..." Aiden waited for his answer. "Blade master! Congratulations!"

Aiden was very surprised at how good of a job he was able to obtain.

"Now graduating class, you may now go home for the day...but be warned, I fear there is something evil and sinister afoot going on...so be careful going home."

Aiden and Reya began saying goodbyes to their close friends and left the school for home.

"Congratulations oh noble Blade master" Aiden said sarcastically as he bowed to Reya.

"The same to you, oh noble Blade master! Hahahaha I can't believe we got the same job! How cool is that?" Reya replied with a laugh.

"I know, that's really awesome! Now we can train together and join the Elite Guard together.

"Haha, I dunno about the Elite Guard, but I definitely wanna travel somewhere. Hey, what do you think Dean Rivers meant by being careful going home?" Reya asked puzzled.

"Not sure Reya, it probably has something to do with the smoke you smelled this morning. Nothing to worry about."

"Reya, Aiden, may I have a moment with the two of you in private..." Dean Rivers asked in a serious tone. Reya and Aiden looked at him puzzled but nodded. "I want you two to have these. They are Jade Mirrors, they are said to protect you in times of great danger. I fear something awful is about to happen."

"Um...thanks Dean Rivers, but why are you giving these to us?" Aiden asked puzzled.

"Consider them gifts for being two of the best students I have ever seen at this school. I wish you both the best of luck in your travels ahead. I must go now. Take care." He walked off and left Reya and Aiden with puzzled faces.

When the two of them ran outside, the smell of smoke was so overwhelming!

"Ugh! I think I'm about to pass out! The smell is so strong!" Reya pinched her nose in disgust.

"Yeah, i don't blame you, I can really smell that smoke now." He looked over at her when suddenly Reya let out a gasp of horror.

"Aiden look!" She pointed west towards the village, the smoke was coming in dark pillars that were as thick as rainclouds.

"Oh my god! The village! What the hell is going on!" Aiden screamed.

They both ran as fast as they could! When they finally got to the village they saw a very disturbing sight...the village was up in flames! Screams were heard from everywhere and everyone was in a panic running past Aiden and Reya.

"Is there a battle going on, or just a bad forest fire?" Reya said shocked.

"I don't think it's a forest fire, Reya. There's no one around to put the fires out. It has to be an attack. We should go check on your aunt." Aiden yelled. Reya nodded and they ran to her house. She looked around in a panic, desperately looking for her aunt. A blood curdling scream was heard from inside the house...Reya and Aiden ran towards the door to find Muso in the doorway. Reya peered behind him and screamed when she saw her Aunt Maron lying on the ground, motionless! Muso turned his head around, his eyes in the back of his head to where only the whites of his eyes were visible. Muso gave a evil smirk...Reya collapsed to the floor and began to scream and cry.

"Reya...Aiden...what a wonderful surprise...I didn't think you two would get here so soon..." His face was full of malice and hate.

Aiden couldn't contain himself any longer. He clenched his fists and yelled out to him.

"Muso! What...what the hell are you doing? What did you do to Mrs. Maron? Are you crazy!"

Muso was silent for a short while then spoke again, this time in a chilling tone.

"...what does it look like I'm doing? I killed her..." he said with a smirk. He held up his hand, licking the blood off his fingers, which were now claws.

Aiden stood there in horror while comforting Reya at the same time, who was crying and screaming uncontrollably. "Why Muso? Why are you doing this? What did these people ever do to you?" he yelled in anger.

Muso laughed evilly again and replied in a deeper tone this time. Which seemed more like a growl.

"Nothing...this my friends is a massacre..." he extended his claws and began walking over to them. "and your next...hahahahahahahaah" his evil laugh rang out into the night.

_**(Phew, that was hard to write. You guys don't even know how many times I had writers block. Is this the end of the story already? What will happen to Reya and Aiden? Why is Muso acting like this? Find out in the next chapter of Warriors of the Mirror! Please Review and rate my story. Let me know what you guys think.)**_


	3. Quest 3: Learning to Let Go

**Quest 3**

_"Learning to Let Go"_

The flames roared in all directions. Reya and Aiden watched in horror as the place they called home began to burn to the ground.

"Hahahahaha...this land will soon be mine!" Muso's evil demonic voice rang into the night. His evil amber eyes pierced Reya's soul as she watched the blood run down his long, claw-like fingers. She fell to her knee's and began to cry out after seeing her Aunt Maron dead in the house.

"Are you happy to see your dear Aunt like this, Reya? Stupid old fool knew of my plans and tried to stop me!Oh, hahahahaha, but nothing is going to stop me from cutting that pretty little head off your body. " his amber eyes gleamed again. piercing Reya's very being.

"Who are you? Your not Muso! Tell us who you are!" Aiden screamed out as he ran to Reya's side.

"You should have run on home Aiden...then I could have cut the pretty girl's head off without anyone noticing." His voice was getting deeper each time he spoke and Aiden helped Reya off her feet.

"We need to get you out of here, he is obviously after you."

Reya lifted her head up. "...what about you? Your not thinking of fighting him are you?" she yelled in alarm.

"No even I'm not that stupid, I have to protect you from him no matter what. Come on let's get out of here while we can!"

"Hahahaha! Aiden...always trying to act all brave when really your just a scared little punk! I bet if me and you fought, you wouldn't last."

"You be quiet, Muso! Aiden is kind and gentle, something you will never be! Why are you doing this! What do you want here?" Reya yelled in defense of Aiden.

Muso let out a painful cry and his body began to slowly change. Multiple bones peaked out of his skin, his body began to appear grotesque and deformed. His voice got deeper and turned almost into a growl.

"Give me that pendent Reya...if not...I'll take it by force!" Muso began running madly in a blind rage towards Reya and Aiden. His claws fully extended out to attack Reya.

"Run!" Aiden shouted. They began to run, with Muso quickly behind them. They ran into the middle of the village square, trying not to look back. Aiden, who was making sure Reya was at his side, began to look around when suddenly a hint of light glittered from the flames in front of them. A feeling of fear welled up inside of him, for he was afraid about what he was about to do. He grabbed Reya by the shoulders, stopping her in her tracks. He brought her to his side then quickly pushed her away from him."Look out!"

Reya felt herself being pushed away. She turned her head to see the grotesque Muso jumping out of the flames, claws extended ready for the attack. Aiden took the blow that was meant for her. "Noooooooooo...!"

Muso, who lost his footing, charged forward and ran into a house that wasn't on fire. The debris from the roof began to fall on top of him.

Reya landed on the ground, rolling down the hill and hit her shoulder on a boulder that was at the bottom. She slowly got up, grabbing her shoulder in pain and began to climb back up the hill. When she reached the top again, she saw Aiden lying on the floor...lifeless and not moving. She ran to Aiden's side and grabbed on to him. His body was limp and began to feel cold to the touch. She looked over at the wound in his chest, a deep hole bleeding out tremendously. Reya drastically placed her hands on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"No...NO! Stop! Please stop! The bleeding won't stop!" she ripped part of her academy skirt and tried to wrap the wound. A huge puddle of blood began to form under Aiden and it continued to spread out from all the blood. A light cough escaped Aidens mouth along with some blood. He raised his hand and Reya quickly grabbed onto it, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Reya...you have to run...run and get as far away from here as possible...go..." His voice began to get softer and softer.

"No, I'm not leaving you!" Tears began to stream down Reya's cheeks. She didn't want to leave his side, if he was going to die, she would die with him. Aiden's eyes began to close...his face becoming more pale.

"Aiden! Aiden stay with me! Your not going to die! I won't let you!" The blood continued to come out of the wound. "Stop, please stop!" the tears continued to fall and Reya began to whimper and sob.

"Reya...I...I want you to know that I love you...I always have...*cough*" More blood escaped his lips. "I want you to continue smiling...promise me..." His eyes began to look heavy...Reya knew he was fading but she wouldn't accept it.

"Aiden...please stay with me...I...I love you..." Reya began to cry again and buried her face on Aiden's chest.

It became very silent...nothing but the sounds of fire burning the buildings around her, she looked up began to scream for help. No response...she looked over to see Aiden's eyes completely closed, his body lay limp and not a breath was heard. "Aiden?...AIDEN? Aiden NO! NOOO!" It seemed as if her cries reached the heavens, it began to rain and she sat there mourning. The building where Muso fell into exploded into bits of debris, but instead of Muso, a large demon took his place! It was Tigerman from the legends passed down by her village for over many generations.

"Aww is he dead already? Here I thought I was gonna have a little fun with my meal today. Oh well, guess it's time to have some fun with you. I will enjoy hearing you scream." His shoulders were massive...and his fangs almost appeared too big to fit in his mouth.

Reya clenched her fist to where it almost bled she jerked her head up and yelled in a loud shriek. "Shut up you ******! Aiden died protecting me, he didn't deserve this! You are going to pay for what you have done! I'm going to kill here and now!" Reya grabbed Aiden's sword and began running toward Tigerman. She continued to run forward, trying to run her sword into Tigerman's chest. Tigerman growled and hit Reya aside as if she were nothing but a fly. She screamed out in pain and landed on floor hard, Aiden's sword was released from her hands and slid a few feet away from her. She couldn't move...no matter how much she told her body to move, it wouldn't. Reya stared blankly ahead at the sword, her gaze soon set on Aiden's lifeless body...this was it...she was going to die.

*Wait for me Aiden...I'll be joining you soon.* she felt something grab her by her head and lift her up. She felt herself being lifted off the ground, her legs dangled in mid air like a rag doll. Her gaze went from Aiden to Tigerman's dark amber eyes. He laughed at her.

"Hahahahaha...you are so foolish Reya...you thought you could beat me so easily. Well, I'm going to torture you now and enjoy hearing your screams. Nothing can save you now." He ran his claws up her leg digging into them. She screamed at the sharp pain in her leg and began to feel as if she were slowly fading away. A bright light clouded her vision and she felt herself drop to the floor.

"Not yet! Don't give up!" a light voice ringed in her mind. She felt something near her hand...a sword? She remembered she had a sword holstered near her. She grabbed it and held herself up with it.

"Not yet...not yet! I won't give up until you are dead!" she clenched Aiden's sword in her hands and stood there, trying to keep herself grounded. Tigerman let out a loud growl and began running towards her. As he did, he jumped up ready to pounce. He began to fall down, his arm extended out, and claws out for the attack. Reya screamed out at him and lifted the sword up as he was coming down. She drove the sword deep into his chest until it came out of his back. Tigerman yelled out in pain while spitting out blood as he spoke.

"Impossible...how did you defeat me so..." His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the floor. His body disappeared in a black smoke and a large claw was all that remained.

Reya felt tired and weak, but forced herself to stay upright. She limped over to Aiden's body and collapsed to her knees. She buried her face into his chest. Tears welled up in her eyes again and rolled down her cheeks. "I'm sorry Aiden...I'm so sorry this is all my fault. I hope your at peace now because I got revenge for you." She was so tired that she didn't have the strength to try and find a place to sleep. She just remained there next to Aiden's body...crying herself to sleep.

The next morning Reya awoke to the smell of smoke...it was barely dawn and all the fire from last night was gone. All that remained were dark clouds of smoke rising from the debris of the once beautiful village. She remembered she collapsed, sleeping near Aiden. She looked next to her to see his lifeless body lying on the ground, his tan skin now pale and colorless. She heard a shriek in the sky and saw a hawk flying overhead. She noticed something fall from its talons and it fell in front of her. A wrapped up scroll bound by a wax seal, it was a letter from Eversun City.

"A letter? To who?" She knew it was wrong to open other people's mail, but with no one but her around she decided to open it.

The letter stated:

To whom it may concern,

We saw the flames in the distance, if there is something wrong and you get this message please send a reply to Eversun City immediatly. If a reply does not arrive within two days, we will send a team out to make sure you are okay. Please respond immediately!

Sincerely,

The Eversun Elite Guard

Reya knew the only way to let them know what happened was to go there herself. She grabbed the blank paper behind the letter and wrote a reply. She ran back to whatever homes were luckily not touched by the flames and packed a few things for the journey. Before she left, she decided to bury her Aunt...and Aiden. Tears began to well up in her eyes again but she wiped them away. Once she was finished, she placed Aiden's sword over his grave. She didn't know what she was going to do without him...he was always there next to her. She felt as if a huge hole was drilled into her heart...it was broken. She would never be able to express her feelings to him.

*It's time for me to go Aiden. I don't know when I'll be back, but I promise...I will try to smile and I will come visit.* she thought to herself. She placed her dirtied hands on the sword hilt and clutched it tightly. It was now rusted from the demon blood. She couldn't use her sword anymore so she decided to take Aiden's. *I'm sorry but...I'm going to borrow this.* she thought as she picked up Aiden's sword from his grave.

She walked to the riverside and threw her rusted sword away. She glimpsed at her reflection in the water, she was bruised and mangled. Scratches on her face from where she rolled down the hill after Aiden pushed her. A large claw mark going down her left leg. Dirt covered her face and there were rips in her school uniform. Her home was destroyed by the fire so this was all she had to wear. She looked up into the blue sky, which was somewhat clouded with smoke. The trees were blooming with cherry blossoms, each individual petal falling every few minutes. A cool spring breeze blew and the suns' rays peaked from the dark grey clouds. Reya threw her bag over her shoulder and made sure Aiden's sword was tightly holstered around her waist. She walked up the hill leading away from her village and glanced back at the barren land one last time...one single tear fell down her cheek but she smiled weakly and began her long walk to Eversun.

_**(Phew...that took a long time to write. I bet you guys are hating me right now for making Aiden die... I'm sorry! This is probably one of the most emotional things I have ever written. I hope you will continue to read and review this story...and not try to kill me for killing Aiden. Look forward to the new and improved chapters 4 and 5. As for those of you just now reading this for the first time, I hope you guys liked it! Next Chapter: The Road to Eversun!)**_


	4. Quest 4: The Road to Eversun

_**(Well here is the next one. I'm going to keep this intro nice and simple so here we go. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please rate, comment, and review! ^.^ okay here we go!)**_

**Quest 4**

_"The Road to Eversun"_

**Eversun South**

**Early afternoon**

The exhaustion began to tug at Reya as she walked the long dirt paths. Every bit of her body felt like lead, weighing her down with each step she too. Walking was a bit of an understatement considering her left leg was wounded. Memories from the previous night flooded back to her as she remembered Aiden pushing her away only to be struck by Tigerman. The excruciating pain she felt as Tigerman sank his claws deep down her leg. The memory of waking up to nothing but dirt, ash, and debris where her beautiful village once stood. Although she had slept a little, it wasn't enough. She felt weak and her vision was beginning to get blurry, but she continued to press onward. She reached a wide clearing with a large platform. Still pressing forward, she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Hey can we stop for a minute, I've got one hell of a cramp!"

That voice! Could it really be him? Was he not dead? Did he dig himself out of the ground to run and catch up to her? She spun around, expecting to see him behind her...but nothing. Her heart sank...and she turned back around, walking again.

*Well that's just great, now I'm going crazy. I'm so tired I'm starting to hear things.* she thought to herself.

She wished that she had seen Aiden standing behind her and not in a shallow grave dead. Each step she took made her wince in pain. She glanced down at her leg, the wound looked infected and she could tell because of the dark color forming on her skin around it. It was hot and she was thirsty, Every time she swallowed it felt as if she had something stuck in her throat. All the water in the river near her village was polluted with debris and blood so she couldn't stop anywhere to take a drink. Now, she was somewhere where there wasn't any water at all. Every few minutes she thought she kept hearing Aiden's voice complaining, but she knew it was too good to be true. Aiden died protecting her and she knew she had to carry that with her where ever she went. She grabbed her chest in pain, not because she was tired, in which case she was, but because it was broken. She would never see him again and it was all her fault. Reya continued to walk with her head pointed to the floor, her bag feeling more and more heavy the further she went. Her vision got blurry again and she blacked out.

*Well...this is it...I'm dying finally. I knew I wasn't going to get very far, but at least I tried. Aiden...I'm coming. Wait for me.*

Did she die? Or was it the exhaustion? Either way, she heard voices calling out to her. She wanted to respond but nothing came out, it was as if she had lost her voice. It was dark...and she couldn't see anything. She wanted to scream for help...for someone to respond. She was constantly trying to call out Aiden's name...but heard the voices again. This time it sounded as if they were trying to wake her.

*No...* she thought. *I don't want to wake up...let me see Aiden. Please...* she felt the tears coming again.

The voices grew louder and louder.

"Hey! Hey, can you hear me! Are you alright?" she felt something touch her neck. "Trish she still has a pulse! Help me turn her over so we can help her!"

Reya felt something cold on her forehead and slowly opened her eyes to see someone staring down at her. It was a Sprite with white hair and blue eyes. He was covered in gold armor. He looked at her with concern and looked to his side.

"Trish, she's awake! Hand me that handkerchief over there along with some ointment. She has a nasty wound on her leg. Plus bring some water from our canteen too, she's probably thirsty."

"Sure thing Clark, just a minute."

Another voice? Who were these people and why were they helping her? Reya saw the young Sprite putting some liquid on the handkerchief, he placed it on the wound on her leg. Reya suddenly yelled out in pain. The Sprite took a few steps back in surprise but quickly tied the handkerchief to her leg. When she tried to grab her leg, she winced in pain. Her arm was wrapped up in a sling made from cloth.

*That's right...* she thought *It happened then...* she remembered back to when Aiden had pushed her. When she rolled down the hill and hit her shoulder. She grabbed her arm again and winced from the pain.

The Sprite poured more ointment over the handkerchief and Reya screamed out again. He looked down at her with concern. He grabbed a canteen and placed it to her lips.

"Drink this. It isn't much, but I'm betting that you haven't had anything to drink in a while."

The feeling of fresh, cool water hit her lips and she drank it slowly. She remembered how thirsty she was and drank it all down.

"Sorry about that but it was infected and I had to treat it immediately. We also put your shoulder in a sling so you wouldn't move it too much. Your covered in dirt and you smell like death. Are you alright? Can you tell me what happened?"

Reya just looked at him. She wondered why she was still alive. From the corner of her eye she noticed a Shura walking over to the Sprite. She was covered in blue and white robes with intricate designs etched in different places. By the looks of it, probably a Shaman? Or maybe a Doctor. She had blonde hair and green eyes. She sat down next to Clark and pulled out another handkerchief. She poured water out of a canteen onto it and held it up to wipe Reya's face. A weak smile forming on her face but turned to a sorrowful expression.

"You poor thing...you look like you've been through hell. Can you tell us your name? Where you came from?" she had a sad but innocent look to her face as she asked Reya questions. Reya opened her mouth to speak.

"I..." she couldn't speak, she was so exhausted from the walking and the fight from last night. Images of Aiden's death kept flashing in her head over and over again...she wished that it was all a dream but she knew it wasn't...nothing would ever be like it used to.

"By the look of her tracks, she came from the East..." Clark gasped suddenly as he realized the direction. "From where that smoke was coming from! I think she might be a survivor, Trish!" he looked in the direction Reya had come from, a solemn look on his face. Trish was looking at Reya with worry and content. She continued to wipe Reya's face, there was a slight pinch of pain since she had a cut above her forehead.

Reya was silent for a few minutes... still trying to process what was going on. Remembering last night was hard for her...she thought she was gonna cry but it seemed she didn't have anything to shed this time. "...my..." she began to speak "my whole village, called Beginners Village, was burned to the ground by a powerful demon called Tigerman last night."

"Oh my..." Trisha put her hands over her mouth and gasped. She looked up at Clark with worry "Clark...I think your assumptions were correct. She did come from that direction." she glanced back over at Reya. "Was anyone else with you? Did anyone get hurt besides you? Oh look at me asking such a serious question, of course people got hurt. My apologies for asking so many questions." she took the handkerchief and poured more water on it, this time wiping Reya's neck.

Reya gave a nod of forgiveness towards the Shura. " It's okay and yes...a few villagers, my Aunt Maron and..." she trailed off at the thought of Aiden. She felt tears clouding her eyes but she quickly wiped them away.

Clark kicked a nearby rock and clenched his fists. He lowered his head to the floor in disgust.

"Damn! We're too late, he's probably miles away now! Did you happen to see which way he went? Rumors say he disguises himself as other humans to get what he wants. Or to quickly escape without anyone noticing. Dammit! We've been tracking him down for months and now he gets away again! This time taking out a whole damn village for the pleasure of it and to let us know he's still alive! Damn him!" Clark was furious. He constantly kicked his foot, bringing dirt and dust up with it each time.

Reya took another sip from the canteen as Trish placed it to her mouth again. She swallowed it and looked up to Clark again.

"You don't have to worry about him anymore...he didn't go anywhere...because I killed him. He stayed in my village to kill me for this pendent I have." she pointed to the sapphire stone around her neck. "He won't be harming anyone else, I made sure of that." she tried to pull herself up but Trish motioned her to stay put.

"Don't even think about moving when you're so terribly injured. Your wound needs to heal and I can tell your exhausted." she looked at Reya sternly and motioned for her to sit down. Reya did as she was told.

Clark looked at her like she was crazy. "That's impossible...no one, especially not a commoner like you, could defeat Tigerman! Then again, you have a weapon there, so maybe you could have...what do you think Trish?" he glanced over at Trish who was putting ointment on the cut on Reya's forehead.

Trish looked at Clark with a puzzled look. "Maybe, it could be possible. However, he is really strong and for someone like her, no offense, to defeat him would take a miracle."

Reya took out a piece of cloth out of her bag. She unraveled it and raised it to Clark.

"I have proof if you don't believe me, here." she handed him the claw that she found on the floor where Tigerman disappeared. Clark looked at it and he suddenly gasped.

"Oh my god...this is Tigerman's claw! Y-you really did kill him...but how? " he continued to study the claw in amazement and handed it back to Reya.

"He killed my best friend as we were escaping the village...i was angry so I attacked him thinking he was weak. He proved to be very strong seeing as how he managed to beat me up a bit but he underestimated me when he jumped at me and landed on my sword as I stabbed him in the heart...it was hard and I'll have the scars to remind me...but knowing he's dead puts me at ease. Well...thank you for your kindness but I need to get going." Reya pulled herself up and started to walk again.

"Are you stupid? You're in no condition to be walking around! Especially with your leg like that! Let us escort you to Eversun City. This way we can keep an eye on you and make sure you rest every now and then." Trish moved toward her and placed her arm around Reya's waist, helping her stand so she could rest her wounded leg.

"Thank you." Reya said weakly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she needed help.

"I'm Trisha, you can call me Trish for short if you'd like." she gave a warm smile towards her and looked back at Clark.

"I'm Clark. Nice to meet you. We are both with the Eversun Guard...well technically apprentices. We aren't full members yet."

They began to walk the dirt path again when they noticed movement on a hillside. Some dirt was sliding off of it as a door came into view. From the door appeared a Sylph who shielded his eyes as he came out. Reya couldn't believe her eyes! It was Clouse! One of her friends from the academy.

"Agh...geez it's bright." He looked behind him like there was someone else there."Hey, Risa, we made it out of there!" he crawled out and behind him came Risa, his sister. She came out with a exasperated look, which quickly turned into a disgusted one.

"Finally! I thought those tunnels would never end!" she let out a disgusted sigh. "Ugh...my hair is a mess and my clothes are ripped to pieces...but at least we're alive." she looked over and saw them and her face lit up in shock. "Clouse look!" she pointed and Clouse looked over towards them.

Reya called to them. "Risa! Clouse!"

Risa smiled and ran towards her. Trish let Reya go for a moment so the two friends could embrace each other. Tears started to stream down Risa's face as she hugged her friend.

"Oh Reya your alive! See Clouse I told you she was alive! Oh my god I was so worried!" Clouse came over with a relieved expression on his face.

"I knew she was alive! Just because I said there probably wasn't any survivors didn't mean I was talking about Reya and Aiden. They were the best in the academy...by the way Reya... where is Aiden?"

Clouse and Risa looked around as if they were looking for him. Reya grew silent and looked at her feet, when she thought she didn't have anymore tears to shed, more came and fell on the dirt near her feet. "Aiden...he...he's dead...protected me from the demon who disguised himself as pushed me away from...Tigerman...as he attacked us. He was after the pendent that's around my neck." There was a long silence among everyone standing there and Reya collapsed to her knees. Trish and Clouse caught her and they all gasped in shock.

"Oh my god...Reya are you okay? You look exhausted!" Risa yelled out.

"You need to rest Reya or your gonna hurt yourself." Trish remarked in a concerned tone.

"Who are you?" Clouse asked with a puzzled look. Looking towards Trish and Clark.

"I'm Clark, this is Trish. We found your friend collapsed on the floor just 5 miles from here. She wasn't looking too good but once we realized she still had a pulse, we helped her. We need to get her to Eversun so she can get healed up and well rested."

Clouse nodded and walked over to Reya, helping Trish get her to her feet.

"...we have to go to Eversun...there was this message and I need to go there and get some answers." Reya showed them the message from the messenger hawk.

"I see...I remember them sending this message out. We were given orders to keep an eye out for any suspicious demons that weren't native to this area or for anyone walking around hurt or...worse. " Clark gave a sympathetic look towards the Reya, clenching his fists in frustration.

Reya felt as if her body was chained down with weights and shackles from the the exhaustion. She had been walking all this time with no rest prior to when she collapsed. They walked for about another mile until they could see the large gates to the city.

"We're here. Let's head on in and get you somewhere to rest." Trish said with a smile.

**Eversun City- Emperor's Throne Room**

"Sire, we have a reply from the village that was up in flames." A member of the Eversun Elite Guard held the message out to the emperor.

"Good, good...well don't just stand there staring at me, READ IT!" the emperor yelled.

"*gasps* Uh...y-yes sir!...It says that there is a survivor. She has killed Tigerman...wait what! That's impossible! Anyway, she is on her way here."

"Killed Tigerman!...Councilman Reese!" The emperor snapped his fingers.

"Yes Sire!" A skinny man clad in greyish robes approaches the emperors throne.

"Make sure when this survivor arrives to welcome her with open arms! Have a room prepared for our visitor! There will be a feast tonight in honor of this hero!" The emperor began to clap his hands as he shouted at the servants to prepare everything.

"It will be done sire."

**Eversun City- South Gate**

"Where is everyone? Shouldn't there be stall vendors and crowds of people around?" Clouse was looking around in disbelief.

"Come to think of it your right. This is normally about the time when the city is at it's busiest. I hope there isn't anything wrong." Clark gave a puzzled look as he rubbed his chin.

They walked past the drugstore which smelled of oils and different herbs used to make potions and medicines. As they entered town square a huge explosion was heard and loads of confetti came falling to the floor. The blast scared them so much, Reya was on the floor in a daze, since Trish and Clouse dropped her. Clouse was running in circles yelling "Oh my god what the hell! What's going on! AAAAAGH!" and so forth while Risa was running behind him trying to calm him down. Trish and Clark stepped forward out of their daze and began to bow.

Reya sat up slowly and stared in awe at all the people staring at them and cheering. *What...what in the world is going on?* she thought to herself.

_**(Oooh cliffhanger! What's going on in Eversun? I hope you liked this chapter, and had a lot of fun writing this one even though it's kind of depressing from Reya being hurt and all the bad memories flooding back to her. As for Clark and Trish, they are characters I had based off of two of my friends in DOMO but they will not be major characters, you will see them from time to time when we are in Eversun but other than that, they are not a major part of this story. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and for those of you who read this chapter in the forums on the Aeria site, I definitely changed it a lot. Well be sure to review and let me know what you think. Thanks guys and look forward to the next chapter. Next Chapter: "A Heroes Welcome" Look forward to it!)**_


	5. Quest 5: A Heroes Welcome

_**(Hello, hello! How is everyone? Waiting to see what is going on in the city? Well here it is but just to point it out, this is kind of a 'filler' chapter in my opinion but maybe not to you guys reading. All in all i hope you enjoy it! So I'll shut up now and let you read it. ^.^')**_

**Quest 5**

_"A Heroes Welcome"_

**Eversun City: Town Square**

Reya began looking around in confusion at all the people staring. The cheers suddenly turned to laughter as they watched the two Sylphs running around in a panic. Reya got to her feet and looked down at Trisha and Clark, who were bowing at a man in a large orange kimono. She wanted to yell at him and ask what was going on, but her strength failed her and she fell to her knees. Trish caught her and set her down. Reya gave a thankful nod and stared at her. She smiled back at Reya, still on the floor bowing.

"What the heck is going on! You scared my friends and me half to death! Is should punch your lights out buddy!" Clouse yelled out with a peeved expression. Risa had her hand wrapped on the scruff of his shirt, holding him back. A commoner among the crowd yelled in protest.

"Watch your tongue! Your speaking to the-" he was cut off as the man in the orange kimono raised his hand with a gentle expression. He spoke.

"Please forgive me for the sudden excitement, I arranged all of this just for her..." He pointed to Reya "It's a welcoming party for our hero...you."

Reya stared blankly at him in a confused manner. "Eh? F-for me? Why?" she turned to her friends and laughed at the sight. Clouse was flailing his arms in circular punches at his sides yelling "One punch just one punch! I'll knock his block off!" while Risa was holding him back shrugging her shoulders. "Calm down Clouse! Geez, I can't go anywhere with you without you causing some kind of trouble."

Reya turned back to the man in the orange kimono.

"I'm Reya, these are my friends Clouse and Risa. I'm sure you know Trisha and Clark, there from here." the man in the orange kimono nodded.

Trisha and Clark stood up and Clark spoke. "We just came from Eversun South sire. We found Reya collapsed on the ground with all these injuries. We thought she was dead, turns out sir that she is a survivor from the direction of the flames. Beginners Village is destroyed sire..." He grew silent for a moment then spoke again. "there is nothing left. The two Sylphs we found coming out of some underground tunnels. They are Reya's friends so they are survivors as well."

The man in the orange kimono patted him on the back then looked to Reya.

"I'm Hsu, the emperor of Eversun City. I have heard Tigerman's defeat. Words cannot even describe how thankful we are to you for defeating such a vile demon. He has terrorized this land for centuries, destroying homes, killing livestock and people, and causing panic throughout the region."

Reya gasped and quickly got on her knees to bow. Risa did the same. Clouse was still standing up, totally oblivious to what Hsu just said.

"Clouse, quit staring in to space and bow you fool!" Risa yelled.

"I bow to no one! Who is this guy to make us bow? Is he important or something?" He reared his head and brayed like a donkey laughing.

"Uh, Clouse, I think you should-"

THWACK!

A sweat drop appeared on the back of the emperors' head. Reya let out a nervous chuckle while Risa sat with a clenched fist. Clouse lay on the floor in a daze with a giant bump on his head.

"I apologize for my brother, sire. He's an idiot." Risa said with a smirk on her face.

The man in the orange kimono chuckled and then began to speak again.

"My how lively these guests are. Please rise. Anyway, on to more important things. The heroine who killed Tigerman is you, am I right?" looking to Reya.

Reya looked up and nodded her head. "Yes sir...I did."

"Ah wonderful! You have made this town extremely happy! We should talk somewhere more private. As for everyone else, eat! drink! screw, or whatever it is you people do to have a good time i don't give a damn," a deep cough erupted from his mouth. " for Tigerman is dead and gone forever!" The people screamed with joy and the music began to play again. Trisha stopped the emperor for a moment.

"Sire, Reya needs some extra medical attention, so if it would be alright, could she stop by my room so I can look at her?"

"Of course, of course. Help her get rested and then meet me in my chambers later." he smiled and patted the Shura on the shoulder.

Trisha nodded and helped Reya to her feet. Reya, Risa, Clouse, Trisha and Clark followed the emperor to his home.

"Can I punch him now?" Clouse said with a smirk.

A dark cavern in Ferrel Family Crypt...

The sound of water dripping from the tops of the cavern and a whistling wind blows through. A spider demon makes its way to the main chamber where we see a woman pacing back and forth tending to sacks of web with children inside them. The small spider demon presents itself in front of the her and bows it's head. She glances at him and smiles.

"What news do you bring me my child?"

"Your mos-s-st evil one, preparations-s-s-s are complete for the kidnapping of the boy."

The spider woman looks over to her underling and smiles. "Very good my child, but first we must go to the village where that pompous idiot Tigerman failed." She began to pace small spider demon looked at her curiously.

"What is so special about that pendent anyway your lady-"

"QUIET! YOU FOOL! I don't want to talk about that right now. However...to get what we want...we may have to bring a..."special" pawn back from the dead." The woman smiled an evil smirk as she stared out at all the children stuck in the webs.

"Who your ladyship?" The spider demon asked.

The spider woman began to caress one of the web sacks. "That girl...the one who so easily defeated Tigerman...if she was able to defeat him without hesitation, what would she do if she had to fight an old friend?" She looked at her underling expecting him to answer. The spider demon looked at her puzzled. The spider woman rolled her eyes and quickly threw out her arm toward the exit. "NOW GO! Gather as much of your fellow demons as possible and begin the search for the Five-Colored Flower. Also, send a messenger to Phoenix and let her know that preparations are underway."

The spider demon bowed and left the room, leaving the woman alone.

"Little girl...I wonder how you will react when you see him. Hmhmhmhm...ahahahahahaha!" Her laugh echoes through the cave.

Eversun City-Emporer Hsu's Throne Room

After her visit with Trish, making sure her wounds were in check, she walked into the emperors throne room. The room was full of pillars and a large rug covered the floor. An assistant was next to the emperor waiting for a command. The emperor sat down and began to speak.

"Tell me child, how old are you? Hopefully old enough to exceed my expectations."

Reya didn't understand why the emperor was asking such a...strange question but she answered him.

"I'm eighteen sire. Why? If you don't mind me asking?" she looked at him curiously.

"No reason my dear...it's just...for someone of your age and of little experience to have killed an experienced demon such as Tigerman...it boggles my mind. Do you have some proof for me that he is truly dead?"

What was he trying to say? That she was weak? That she couldn't of possibly defeated him? Although he did have a point, how she defeated Tigerman was pretty unbelievable even to her. For at the time she didn't think she was going to win...she thought she was going to die. The memories flooded back to her...seeing her Aunt dead on the floor, the screams of panic in the background, and...Aiden's death. She wanted the pain to go away...but she knew that it would take a long time to recover from what she went through last night.

"I have a claw that I took off the ground where he lay dead shortly after I left. It's in this red cloth if you want to see." She got up and handed the red cloth to the assistant who then opened it and showed the emperor. Emperor Hsu's eyes widened as he stared at the claw.

"Yes...this is indeed one of Tigerman's claws. He really is dead...I can't believe it!" A chime from a bell was heard and a guard came rushing in. By the look of his clothes, he appeared to be with the Elite Guard, the soldiers who sent the message in the first place. The expression on his face was full of worry and confusion.

"I'm sorry to bother you sire but one of our special forces members spotted the demons retreating the main battle. I overheard their squad leader saying something about a...Five-Colored Flower. The men are taking advantage of this and are going to Darkdale to rest and tend to the wounded."

"The Five-Colored Flower...now there's an object I haven't heard about ever since I was a child. Thank you for your report, I'll be sure to contact you if I find anything out. Good luck on your way back to Darkdale. Safe travels." The emperor had an expression on his face...something was wrong but Reya didn't want to pry and ask. "Well heroine, I have arranged a room for you and your friends. Go and rest, you look exhausted my dear. I will contact you again soon, I am very busy at the moment so we can't talk about everything right now. Councilman Reese, please take Reya and our other two guests to the guest room."

"Yes, sire. Right Away." He looked to Reya. "This way please, I will take you to your room now." he smiled at her, but it was a weak smile, one that showed his concern for her.

Reya sighed in relief, she was finally gonna get some rest. "Yes sir, thank you." she bowed to the emperor in thanks and left his chamber. She followed Councilman Reese to her friends. Risa and Clouse were waiting for her and they smiled when they saw her. They followed him close behind staring in awe at the grand architecture. The hall looked like it went on forever, many servants were walking around, most of them bowing to Reya as they walked past.

"Wow they really pulled out the red carpet for you Reya. How lucky are you to stay with the emperor."

SMACK!

Risa hit him on the face as a signal saying "Don't talk when she is so upset".

However, Reya didn't pay much attention to Clouses' remark. There were many questions going through her head that she thought that it was going to explode! Why was the emperor so irritable after hearing the news from the Elite Guard member? Was her Uncle among the men heading to Darkdale? What is the Five-Colored Flower? What were Phoenix and her lackies up to?

The stopped at the end of the hall, two large doors in front of them.

"Your room heroine...I hope it is to your liking. There are servants outside if there is anything you need. Dinner has also been prepared and ready for you. Now if you will excuse me, I must get back to his highness. There is much to be done. " He bowed to Reya. "Goodnight miss and rest well." He then bowed to Clouse and Risa before leaving to rejoin the emperor. They all bowed back and entered the room.

"Thank you!" Risa yelled out.

They entered the room and stared in awe. Clouse and Risa began acting like little children and ran around admiring every little piece of furniture and accessories they could find.

"Hey Reya, don't you want to eat? You look hungry. When was the last time you ate?" Clouse walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Not since this morning when I left... I am a little hungry but I think I'm going to go to bed." she walked into one of the rooms and closed the door.

"Okay...night." Clouse said faintly. He looked to Risa who was looking at the door with a worried expression. He felt so bad for Reya...he wondered what she went through while they were escaping in the tunnels with the other survivors.

"I hope she's alright. God Clouse I can't believe Aiden is dead...and she had to watch it. I can't imagine what's going through her head right now." she looked to him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know...Aiden was my friend too. I think Reya is gonna have a lot of nightmares tonight." he pulled his little sister to him and gave her a warm hug. She buried her face into his shoulder and began to cry.

Reya's Room

All Reya wanted to do was sleep. She went into the bathroom and took off her shredded school uniform. She cleaned herself up, careful not to get her bandages wet or not to move her shoulder much. She wrapped herself in a light pink kimono, which was given to her by Trish since her clothes were ripped. She lay on the soft futon and sighed in relief. She could finally rest...hopefully. With so many things going through her mind, she didn't think she was going to sleep. Her eyes began to feel heavy and she began to slowly fall asleep.

_**(Well how was that? Too much of a filler? Well don't worry because in the next chapter, we will finally see some more action and finally find out the plans of the evil spider woman! :0 So look forward to the next chapter! Don't forget to comment, rate and review! Next Chapter: "Monster in the Well" Look forward to it!)**_


	6. Quest 6: Monster in the Well

_**(Well...it's finally here! Sorry it took so long. I said this chapter would be full of action and I hope it lives to your expectations. I really tried being descriptive in the battle scenes, for that is something I need to work on. Being descriptive. Those of you who saw the preview on I hope you will calm down and try not to harass me with messages asking what's going to happen and such anymore. XD Anyway, without further ado I give you the FULL and next chapter of Warriors of the Mirror!)**_

**Quest 6**

_"Monster in the Well"_

**Eversun City **

**Castle Guest Room-Reya's Room**

Reya awoke from her sleep in a cold sweat. The events from the previous night still haunted her every dream. It was still dark out and the clouds were hiding the moon, a dim light peering from behind. She pulled off the sheets and walked outside to the porch. She sat down and gazed up at the stars above her. Was Aiden among those stars? Or was he a ghost watching over her? God she missed him! Her heart ached to see him again. Every breath, every smile towards her, every little thing ever said she missed...and he would never be seen or heard from again. A small creaking came from her left. The sliding door from Risa and Clouses' room opened and they stepped out. Clouse looked over to her and smiled. He tapped Risa on the shoulder, who gave him a questionable look. He pointed and Risa smiled. They walked over to her and both sat on either side of her.

"Hey Reya, how do you feel? Finally get some sleep?" Risa asked with a weak smile.

"Yeah...I'm still having nightmares though. It's going to be a while before I get over everything that has happened, but I must be strong." Reya lowered her head and stared at her hands over her knees. They were shaking. Clouse put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Reya. It takes time to heal from something like that. I..." he stopped and let out a disgusted grunt. "Dammit...I wish we were there to help you! Then maybe-" he trailed off fearing he would upset Reya again.

"It's so peaceful here...untouched by the war yet there are a few problems. Have you guys heard of the spider thief? Some rumors have been going around about it." Risa quickly changed the subject and looked to her friends curiously.

"Yeah! Supposedly it steals anything but when they flee the scene, they leave a spider web with the initials 'B.W' in it. Crazy, huh?" Clouse seemed a little excited as he told the story based off the rumors in town.

While Risa and Clouse were talking about the spider thief, something caught Reya's eye. It was dark but she could see a figure standing on the roof of the inn just outside the castle walls.

"Man I am itching for something exciting to happen! Don't get me wrong, all that commotion this afternoon 'bout gave me a heart attack but I want something else to happen. It's driving me crazy just sitting here with nothing to do!" Clouse was irritable. He was never the sit still type. He grumbled and lay on his side.

"I think you might get your wish Clouse, look!" Reya pointed towards the rooftops. Clouse jumped up in excitement, eyes blazing with ambition.

"What is that? Is someone up there?" Clouse asked.

"Yeah I think so. I can't get a good look at it thought." Reya strained her eyes to see.

"Do you think it's someone spying on us?" She suddenly gasped in both fear and excitement, no one could really tell which. "Or do you think it's the spider thief aiming for the palace!"

Curiosity gripped at Reya as she kept her eyes on the figure on the roof. Was it the spider thief? Or was it something else?

"You might be right Risa. We should go check it out." Reya quickly got to her feet and ran for Aiden's sword. She started to get dressed in her torn academy uniform but huffed in frustration.

*If I keep fighting in this uniform, there won't be anything left to cover me up!*

"Here Reya wear this."

Reya turned around to see Risa holding out some clothes to her. They were dark green with intricate brown and gold like designs.

"Just until we can get your uniform fixed but keep them if you like. My father thought I was going to be a blade master but boy was he surprised when he found out I wanted to be a doctor." She laughed and handed them to Reya.

"Thank you. I'll be out in a minute."

Risa and Clouse nodded and left the room to let Reya get dressed. Grabbing their weapons and some potions they had left over, they sat in the living room. The door opened in front of them and Reya stepped out.

"Wow it looks really good on you Reya! Hehe, good thing I cut the sleeves and hemmed it a bit or that would have been too big for you."

"Thanks, let's go before that thing gets away."

They ran to out, letting know the guards know they were going for a walk. Luckily they didn't have to explain since the guards pretty much bowed at Reya and let her pass. Clouse and Risa looked at each other and grinned. Risa leaned in to him.

"Wow I can't believe how popular Reya is in just one day. Everyone is treating her like she is a god or something." she looked to Reya curiously.

"Well she did defeat a demon that has been terrorizing the region for a long time."

Arriving at the inn, Reya, Clouse and Risa looked around. No one was working at the front desk so luckily for them they could go on up without any interruptions. As they climbed the stairs to the roof they stopped just at the door, trying to catch their breath. Reya slowly opened the door so it wouldn't make any noise. They slowly made their way to the edge of the outermost pillar. There was a man standing on the edge, looking straight ahead towards the north. He pulled out something and put it on the floor and bowed down.

"He doesn't look like any thief to me. Probably just someone who can't sleep." Clouse said in disappointment.

"Hmm...maybe." Reya answered. She kept looking at him, wondering why he would go on the roof and not the balcony of his room. Wait, what was she thinking. This wasn't any of her business! She shook her head and turned to Clouse and Risa, but as she did...

"Your most evil one...glad to see you. I have successfully infiltrated the city and am ready for the final phases of our plan." the guy was talking weird, like he was out of it. Reya looked to the floor where he was looking and saw a small jade mirror...it was like hers except there was something in the mirrors face. A beautiful woman withe some weird markings on her face was staring back at the man.

"Good my child. Now do not fail me or else. Take the child of the emperor and make it look like those guests did it. Bring the child to the basement under the palace using the tunnels of the old well. Make sure you are not followed."

"Yes your evilness...i will not fail- huh?" he was cut off from the conversation as Clouses' foot stepped on a leaf. It crunched loudly underneath him. Reya and Risa looked at him and both sighed in frustration. He gave them a nervous look while scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry. Well we might as well get him now before-" Clouse was cut off now as he gasped out and pointed. The man was trying to jump off the building.

"Oh my god what is he doing! Stop him!" Reya yelled.

They ran out but before they reached him, he jumped. Just as he jumped, Reya noticed something shine in the moonlight. A few strands of web were attached to him. Was he being possessed? Risa screamed but grew quiet when they didn't hear anything. They went to the edge and saw that the man had survived the fall!

"What? How did he-!"

"We got to stop him! Let's go!"

Sprinting down the stairs Reya and the others headed outside. Looking around, they saw him and chased him into an alley. On the way he started to throw barrels at them. Reya, Risa and Clouse dodged the flying barrels but not before seeing a giant one coming there way. Immediately Reya and Risa ducked down but poor Clouse didn't notice. Clouse looked forward and saw the barrel heading toward him but before he could dodge.

CRASH! The barrel hit him and Clouse was sent flying five feet back. Risa ran to her brother, who was totally pissed off. He jumped up and ran after him. Reya and Risa laughed and quickly followed. They cornered him and all stood so he wouldn't escape again.

"Give up! You have no where to go!" Reya yelled.

The man looked to his left, then to his right. He sighed in frustration and lowered his head.

"Guess I have no choice..." he lifted his head up and his eyes started to glow red.

"No choice? What do you-"

The man started to change...just like Muso his body became grotesque and limp. Blood poured out from his back and a spider demon appeared. The three stood in shock but held their ground, weapons ready. The spider hissed at them, ready for a fight.

"Get out of my way or you will be devoured!"

"Not a chance! You are so gonna get a good ass kicking for that barrel you threw at me! What are you doing here? How did you get into the city! Answer us, now!" Clouse yelled.

The spider demon hissed again and shot web from his abdomen. He flew up over the wall and disappeared. Losing track of him they looked around until they heard some yelling.

"It's the spider thief! Get him!"

"He is heading for the old well! Don't let him escape!"

"Hurry this way guys!" Reya pointed and they were off. They entered some alleyways and saw the glow of torches in the distance. They made and sharp turn to the left and saw a large tree nestled in the middle of a clearing. Some guards were huddled in a circle. Reya and the others approached them and they startled the guards.

"You! What are you doing here? You need to-" he trailed off realizing it was Reya. "My apologies heroine! I hope the commotion didn't wake you."

"It's okay and please call me Reya. Where did that man go? "

"Into the well...there is now way we can get to him now. He knew where to go to escape and he was right. Come on everyone, we may have to wait for him to show himself again. Dismissed."

"Let us go." Reya quickly added.

All the men stopped in their tracks and stared her like she was crazy. Even Risa and Clouse looked at her like she was nuts.

"Why? He's long gone. Besides it's a maze down there! It would take you forever to find him if he was still down there."

"Please...I don't want him to get away. Plus it's the right thing to do. Let us help." Reya looked at them hoping they would agree.

The soldiers looked at each other in a concerned manner but nodded. One soldier had a rope and walked over to the well. He tied one end to a sturdy branch and threw the other end into the well. Reya sat herself over the edge of the well, ready to go inside. The soldier nodded that it was okay and she grabbed the rope. Holding it tightly she climbed down the well. As Reya disappeared from sight, another soldier handed Clouse his torch. Clouse nodded his thanks and followed Reya down the well. Risa looked at the well nervously. She hated tight spaces and also damp places. She shrugged and reluctantly followed them down. Inside the well they stopped to take a look at their surroundings. Reya quickly turned her nose up at the putrid stench in the air.

"Ugh...it smells absolutely awful in here. Let's hurry and get this done." she pinched her nose in disgust.

"God...it smells like Clouses' feet in here! Here I thought no smell could compare, boy was I wrong!" she also pinched her nose in disgust.

Clouse gave a peeved look towards Risa but walked forward with the torch. "I don't think it smells that bad besides my feet do not stink! Anyway, let me lead since I have the torch."

"Well let's find that demon and get the hell out of here!" Reya remarked.

They walked for what seem like hours. Getting lost was no help either. There were some monsters in the old well but they were not aggressive so they didn't attack them. After finally finding the right way, they found themselves in a small area but a large tree had sprouted in the corner. The three of them looked at awe, surprised that a tree of all things had grown in such an awful place. They decided to take a break. Luckily the smell wasn't that bad here so they sat down. Risa and Clouse began talking while Reya looked at the tree. Suddenly the room began to shake violently like an earthquake. Everyone quickly got to their feet and looked around. They heard a scream and quickly turned around, only to be shot by sticky web. Something had set a trap for them...something big. All of there weapons were out of reach as they struggled to break free. Reya reached and reached until she could barely touch the hilt. Before she could grab it securely, something grabbed her from the web and pulled her up the tree.

"Reya!" Clouse yelled. He tried to reach for his bow but couldn't reach it.

"What are we going to do! Reya! Reya!" Risa screamed as she desperately watched her friend being pulled into the tree.

"Dammit...ugh! I can't move! This stuff is too thick! Hang on Reya!" Clouse continued to struggle. Trying to break free.

As Reya was being pulled up into the tree, she saw the one who set the trap. A giant spider demon was pulling her up. She started to wiggle and thrash in frustration. The spider grew closer and closer so she started to kick her legs. Her foot hit the demon in the eye and it screeched in pain, letting Reya go. As she was falling down, she grabbed her sword and released the others from the web. They pulled themselves together and had their weapons ready. The large demon jumped from the tree and landed in front of them. Risa screamed at the sight of the large demon. Reya ran forward with Aiden's sword and began slashing at the legs. Clouse was wildly shooting arrows at the demon trying to blind it. Risa stayed back, healing everyone if needed. The spider picked up one of it's legs and sent Reya flying backwards into a wall. As she hit it, the memory of being hit by Tigerman flashed back into her head. Her body slid down and fell to the ground but she slowly picked herself up with the sword. Clouse was distracting the giant spider, shooting arrows at it. Risa rushed over to Reya who was trying to stand. She used First Aid and quickly healed her. Reya went rushing back into the battle just in time. The spider had Clouse pinned to the ground ready for the final blow. Reya jumped into the air and grabbed onto one of it's legs and climbed up onto it's back. She began digging the sword into its back. It yowled at the pain that was being inflicted upon it. Clouse quickly used the opportunity to shoot another arrow, which went straight into its eye. The spider demon began thrashing and running around wildly trying to see. It threw Reya off of its back and started to throw its legs around in a wild rage.

"Reya attack its legs! I managed to blind it so use take this chance and do it!" Clouse yelled out to Reya who was getting up from being thrown off. Reya nodded and ran towards the demon.

"Risa heal us and stay back! Clouse cover me a bit while I get under him!" they both nodded and did as they were told.

Shooting his arrows once more, Clouse shot like his life depended on it. Risa started using her healing spells and a few tricks of her own. Reya ran towards the demon read to attack its legs again but one of its legs stopped her from advancing. To dodge out of the destructive path of the demons legs, Reya slid under the spider demons belly and finally started hacking at its legs once more. One...two...three legs cut in half and the demon fell to its side. Four...five...six. Three more legs cut down leaving just its front legs. She quickly moved in front of of the spider to ready the final blow. As a last attempt to kill the intruders, the spider shot sticky, glue like saliva at Reya and Clouse and began pulling them in. They fought to get free and the demon was ready for the win. Something wet had spewed all over Reya and Clouse...it was blood! They opened their eyes to see Risa holding Aiden's sword, which was pierced into the spiders last good eye. Risa cut them out of the sticky stuff and helped them to their feet.

"Phew, that guy was tough! Risa...thank you." Clouse came to give her a hug but she punched him in the stomach, stopping him in his tracks.

"Ugh! What...was that...for..." Clouse fell to the ground holding his stomach.

"Don't even think about hugging me with all that demon blood all over you! Ugh I'll be bathing for two weeks to get this crap out of my hair!"

Reya laughed and went over to the spider demon. It was dead and she sighed in relief. She looked around for the body that emitted the scream but it was no where to be found. A low groan was heard and everyone quickly shot up ready to fight again. Looking around, they spotted nothing. Only a small whistle from a gust of wind could be heard. The groan came again but it was from a smaller tunnel near the dead end.

"What was that? Is something in there?" Risa asked nervously.

"I don't know...there might be someone injured in there. Let's go check it out."

They walked into the tunnel and found themselves in what seemed to be a storage area or basement. Inside was everything the thief had stolen.

"Whoa...this guy was good. I wonder where he went...oh wait...that demon probably got a hold of him. I almost fee sorry for the little guy...almost."

"Oh shut up Clouse, let's look around." Risa grabbed her brother and everyone began looking around for clues.

Reya looked through every crate and barrel to find clues when she heard something behind her. She quickly turned around but nothing was there. Clouse and Risa joined her back into the middle when they heard footsteps. They frantically looked around for the source of the footsteps but saw nothing. Then hidden in the shadows of the room Reya saw someone standing there watching them.

"Hey! Come out and show yourself! I see you standing there so come out!" she stared at him intensely and waited for the figure to move forward. It did as she said and moved forward.

Reya, Clouse and Risa's eyes all widened in shock as they saw who had emerged from the shadows. The figure came into view and Risa gasped in surprise.

"No way..." Clouse said between short breaths.

"It...it can't be..." Risa placed her hands over her mouth, eyes wide with fear and shock.

"Hello, Reya. Surprised to see me?" The figure asked.

Reya couldn't believe what she was seeing! Her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Tears started to well in her eyes and she stared at the figure closely.

"A-Aiden?"

_**(:0 OMG Aiden! XD Anyway, oh my god this was a long one! Probably my longest one yet and it ended in a cliffhanger! Bet you guys are either happy, shocked, mad or probably ready to kill me at the suspense. Don't worry though, I will try to be quick with the next one so you guys can see what happens. Well rate, comment, and review your opinions. Let me know what you think. Now remember: I am not the best writer in the world so if it is not descriptive enough for you then I'm sorry. Next Chapter: "Fateful Reunion" Look forward to it!)**_


	7. Quest 7: Fateful Reunion

_**(Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter! Now before you read i want to let you know that I wanted to encounter the Black Widow in a different way. Just like with Tigerman, it will be in a dangerous situation. Anyway,I'm going to shut up now and let you read it. Here is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! ^.^)**_

**Quest 7**

_"Fateful Reunion"_

"Aiden...is that really you?"

Reya couldn't believe her eyes! Was it him, or was it some kind of trick her mind was playing on her? She started to walk towards him, expecting him to disappear. As she got closer, he got more descriptive and detailed. Confusion clouded her thoughts as she looked at him. He was dirty from head to toe, his face was pale and his eyes lifeless. She looked down to his hands, which were dirty and bloody. Did he dig himself out of his grave? She felt like throwing up at the thought that he had to dig himself up. The guilt grabbed at Reya like she had a knife in her back. Was he not dead? Did she leave him there to die? A sigh from Aiden broke Reya's thoughts. He was giving off a weird smirk, like Reya had made a joke or something.

"I think so, last time I checked anyway. Don't tell me you have forgotten me already, Reya." his gaze was strange and ominous...like it wasn't even him at all.

"A-Aiden..." Reya's voice became shaky as she was trying to stop herself from crying and running over to him. "You're dead...well...you were..." she turned to face Clouse and Risa who were just as shocked and confused as she was. She noticed Clouses' eyes widen in shock as he yelled out to her.

"Reya! Behind you!"

As she turned around, a tight and painful grip encircled her neck as Aiden grabbed her throat.

"Reya! Aiden what are you doing! STOP!" Risa yelled out to him but he just stood there with his hand around Reya's throat.

It hurt...she couldn't breathe! Trying desperately to break free, she grabbed on to Aiden's wrists to try and pry his hands off her throat. Realizing what she was doing, Aiden fought back by slamming her into the nearest wall.

"A-Aiden...stop...your" she choked trying to get some air in her lungs "hurting me." his grip grew tighter and tighter. Was she going to die?

"Why did you leave me! It was you and that stupid pendents fault that I died! You left me there to die, Reya! I will never forgive you!"

Reya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Aiden blamed her for his death? There was no way he could think that after everything he said to her that terrible day. Her vision started to fail on her...her hands dropped to her sides as Aiden held her against the wall.

"Aiden stop! Let her go! You died protecting her remember? Please Aiden...let her go."

Aiden quickly turned his head to Clouse and Risa with an evil glare.

"You're one to talk, Clouse! You and Risa ran away like a bunch of cowards and didn't bother to help us! I should kill you for not helping me!"

Aiden suddenly let Reya go and grabbed his sword from its hilt next to Reya. He began running toward Clouse, yelling in rage. Reya began coughing and gasping for air as she watched Clouse dodged Aiden's attacks. He wasn't going to be able to dodge anymore if she didn't do something. As the fight went on, Risa saw something on Aiden's back, she couldn't get a good view so she went to another side of the room for a better look. She felt uneasy as she watched her brother desperately dodging Aiden's attacks. She looked on Aiden's back and noticed something glowing, it was a...flower? It had had five different colored petals and emitted a unnatural glow which almost seemed to go around Aiden's whole body. A yell from Aiden broke her thoughts and saw him running wildly toward her brother. Clouse braced himself to dodge but as he looked, Aiden was coming at him fast. Really fast...too fast for him to dodge this time.

"Damn! How did he get faster all of a sudden!* he awaited the blow but...nothing. Just a strong push against his shoulder caused him to fall backwards away from Aiden's attack. He looked to see who pushed him and gasped in horror as Reya, narrowly dodging the blade, was struck on her shoulder by Aiden's blade. She quickly grabbed her arm, the blood oozing through her fingers and down her arm. She winced in pain and stood up. She held her arms out, protecting Clouse in case Aiden attacked again.

"Reya...w-why did you do that?"

Reya was silent for a few minutes but turned her head towards him. "I...didn't want him to hurt you. He is mad at me so...this is between me and him, okay?"

Clouse couldn't say anything. The look on Reya's face said it all...she wanted everyone to be safe. Even if it meant she would be the one to take the fall. Clouse expected Aiden to go for the final blow...but he was just standing there. In Aiden's mind flashes of the night he died returned to him and his lifeless eyes streamed tears of guilt. "R-Reya..." he started screaming and holding his head. He fell to the floor in a bundled up heap and began writhing in pain and confusion.

"A-Aiden..." *Is he regaining his consciousness?* Clouse just looked at him...wondering how he became this way.

Risa ran to Reya and Clouse pointing to Aiden's back.

"Clouse, Reya, look on his back. What is that? It has an unnatural aura to it. I think that thing is controlling him!"

"C-Clouse..." Aiden was fighting his own body trying to gain control. "Y-you have...to...kill me. P-Please..."

"A-Aiden I...you know I can't do that."

"You have to...I don't...know how long I...can stop...myself."

"NO!" everyone looked to see Reya almost to tears.

"R...Reya..."

"No...I just got you back! You can't do this to me! You can't expect me to go through this again after all I have been through!" she clenched her fist, fighting back the tears threatening to stream down her cheeks.

"I have an idea...Aiden try as hard as you can to continue to control your body. Reya and Risa, grab both of Aiden's arms." All did as they were told and Clouse walked behind Aiden. "Okay...now comes the hard part...I'm going to cut the flower from his back but..."

"But what? What's wrong Clouse, just do it." Risa prodded.

"It's not that simple...for all we know the flower could have a tie to the whole body meaning..."

"Meaning what?" Reya asked. Concern in her voice.

"Meaning that if I cut the flower, Aiden could die. However if we don't do this, we will have to kill him anyway...so either way you look at it, he might die."

"Do it."

Everyone stared at Aiden with worried eyes.

"Hey... don't look at me like that. If anything I...would rather risk dying this way rather than...forcing one of you to kill me. I believe in you guys...and I know you can do it." everyone could tell that Aiden was trying with all his might to keep control of his body.

"Risa let's trade places. You know the makings of the body and pressure points. You have a better idea as to where this thing would take hold of him. Which makes you the better person to strike the flower so you can hit it in the right spot."

"Okay...I'll do it."

Aiden looked over to Reya who was staring into space trying not to lose control of herself. She had to stay calm, for Aiden and for everyone else. Aiden's body suddenly began thrashing around.

"Hurry...I'm losing...control!" Reya and Clouse held on for dear life trying to keep Aiden's body still.

"Hurry up Risa!"

"Okay, okay, don't rush me! I have to find a good spot." she focused and looked at all the pressure points on the body. When she finally found one, she lifted the sword. "Here we go! Pray this works!" she pierced the sword into the middle and jammed it in an upward angle. Aiden flinched back and collapsed on the floor. Reya grabbed him and started yelling his name.

"Aiden! AIDEN! He's not waking up! We have to get him to a doctor now!"

"I'll go run out and get some of the guards to carry him." Clouse immediately ran out and made his way through the tunnels of the well.

"Hurry!" Reya screamed. Something caught her eye in the corner of the room. There was a shadowy figure on the ceiling but as quickly as it came...it quickly disappeared.

*What was that?* Reya thought.

**Eversun City**

A small spider demon watches as the guards of the palace carry a young man into the palace on a stretcher. A look of hatred plastered his face as the adventurers follow right behind. He gazed at the sapphire pendent around the young Shura's neck.

*If only those three were asleep! I could have easily taken that pendent from the girls head! Mistress will be so angry with me! Not only that but when she hears that the spell on the boy is broken...* a shudder ran through the spider demon's body.

He quickly changed back to his human disguise and left the area. Running through the center of town, he makes his way to the north gate. Hiding himself in a narrow alley he notices a woman with long brown hair, purple face tattoos and a dark pink dress waiting for him. He got down on one knee and bowed.

"The boy is...not under the spell anymore mistress."

"Yes, I know. No matter, I have other ways to bring that girl to me."

"Will the boy die?" the demon asked excitedly.

"No...he regained his consciousness when the girl got hurt. That means he will have a strong will to live."

"Dammit! Now he will want revenge mistress. What do we do-"

"QUIET! I have another plan. Direct orders from Phoenix herself. There is another human that she has taken control of. She is sending him to me as a servant. He is far better than that other boy."

"Who is it my most evil queen?" the demon asked curiously.

"All in good time, my pet. I want to pay our little pendent keeper a visit."

**Emperors Palace**

Reya sat at the edge of the medical cot. The apothecary was preparing some potions while the doctor was cleaning Aidens' wounds. She smiled weakly, relieved that he was alive. The steady rise and fall of his chest proved that. What happened down there? Who was controlling Aiden and how did they revive him? Could it have been the mysterious figure she saw leaving the scene? Those questions repeated themselves over and over in her head. For now she was thankful that Aiden was alive...that was all that mattered to her right now. The doctor placed his hand on her shoulder.

"The worst is over. We just need to check on him every now and then. We will constantly wash and re-dress his wounds. Once the potions are done, he will recover with lots of rest." he began to walk out of the room when he turned around to speak to her again. "You should go get some sleep. He will be fine with the apothecary. If you have anymore pain, come back to see me and I will give you some more medicine for your arm, okay?"

"Okay...thank you."

"Alright, I will see you bright and early in a few days to check and see how your arm is doing. Until then, please get some sleep. It's not good for a warrior like yourself to not get any rest."

Reya didn't want to leave Aiden alone, but exhaustion began to tug at her so she decided to head back to the rooms.

"Don't worry, I'll look after him. Oh and here is that potion for the pain."

"Thank you."

She left the doctor's room and began walking down the hall. She didn't realize how tired she was until everything was said and done. She opened the door the suite where she was staying with Clouse and Risa. As she entered, Clouse and Risa quickly stood up, awaiting news of their friend.

"Is he okay?" he asked

"Yeah...the worst is pretty much over. He just needs some rest."

"Thank god..." he sighed in relief and plopped back onto the couch.

"It's the real Aiden right? You don't think its another trap to get your pendent is it?" Risa asked curiously

"I know it's him! Think about it...if it wasn't him, and some other demon, wouldn't he have killed me without hesitation?"

"True but you never know. Demons can be pretty crafty."

"Well, let's get some sleep. We all need it after what happened tonight."

"Sounds good to me. Not like we have anything else better to do. I'm SO tired, I could sleep all week if I could."

Everyone entered their own rooms while yelling goodnight to each other. The room remained quiet and all went to sleep.

_**Three days later...**_

"Reya! NO!" Aiden shot up from his bed from a nightmare. A sharp pain pierced his chest and he quickly grabbed it. He looked around the room, wondering where he was. His chest and his hands were bandaged and the room smelled like herbs. A woman was tending to a bowl with herbs and oils inside. She was pounding it into medicine. Hearing his scream, she turned around in surprise and smiled.

"You're finally awake. The young Shura will be happy to hear this. How do you feel?"

"Like I got hit by runaway carriage...what happened?" he continued to grab his chest. The bandages had now been tainted with blood.

"You had terrible scratches on your knuckles and fingers. As well as a deep wound in your chest. It's remarkable that your still alive after a injury like that. Gods be praised for your miraculous recovery. I'll go get the doctor and we'll see if you can leave, okay?" she walked out of the room and went down the hall.

Aiden sat there for a few minutes. Thinking about his injuries. That's right! The fire...and Muso...Reya was in danger! Where was she? Was she okay? Did she escape from the demon? The apothecary did say there was a Shura girl here...that she would be happy to know that he was awake. Was it Reya? Aiden didn't want to wait, he immediately got up and stepped out of the room. He was amazed at the incredible architecture of the building. He continued to walk down the hall and he saw two large double doors at the end of the hall. A woman was walking by with some towels and breakfast trays. She was humming a light tune and talking to herself every now and then.

"Excuse me, where am I?" he asked

"Huh? You don't know? Your in the palace. I'm just leaving the hero and her friends' room. The two sylphs went to town and the young Shura is in the courtyard with all the children. She is quite the character. Most heroes I've seen are pompous and ignorant, greedy and selfish! It puts the heroes of old to shame. Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work."

"Where is the courtyard?" he asked

"You can go down this hall, take a left, then there should be to sliding doors. It takes you to the porch just near the courtyard. Or you can go through the heroes room, they have full access to the courtyard. Are you a friend?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've known her since childhood."

"Aww, how sweet. Well I'm sure she will be happy to see you." she glanced down at hes chest and blushed, but soon realized that there was blood on the bandages. "Should you be up? The doctor is out on errands right now."

"I'll be fine. I just reopened it. I'll go back as soon as I've seen the hero. Did you happen to hear her name by any chance?"

"Yes...um...let me see...what was her name again...I believe it was Reya. If I'm not mistaken."

"Great. Thank you!" he ran off and went into the room that the servant just came out of. He stared in awe at the room that had been given to them. *I wonder how she managed to pay for this.* he thought to himself as he looked around the room. He noticed a school uniform hanging on a clothesline on the porch. It was ripped up and there were a few small bloodstains on it. Did she get hurt? Just as he was stepping out to the courtyard, a sweet melody entered his ears. A light, what seemed like heavenly, voice was singing a lullaby. He looked around and saw Reya with a bunch of children. He listened to the song intently and realized it was the same song that her mother use to sing to them when they were kids.

"Children, it's time for breakfast! Come on in!" a servant called from the right.

Reya patted a little boy on the head and smiled. She started to walk toward the doors where he was and suddenly gasped as she looked at him. It was quiet between the two and Reya suddenly placed her hands over her mouth. Tears began to well up in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Aiden stepped off the porch slowly and continued to walk towards her. Reya ran towards him, her heart racing in delight and anxiety. They collided into an embrace and Reya began to sob in Aiden's chest.

"Aiden! Oh, Aiden! You're awake...you're awake! Thank the gods!" she continued to sob.

Aiden was quiet...he had never heard Reya cry this hard before. The time passing as they embraced felt like an eternity. He could finally hold the woman he loved. Just in this moment, he had never been so happy to be alive. Holding the woman he loved was all that mattered to him and nothing could stop him from loving her. He remembered that day as he laid dying, how he told her he loved her...just as he slipped away, he saw her lips spell out 'I love you' and he remembered smiling...glad that he protected her...but unfortunately, with his own life. He remembered how desperately he wanted to live and stay by her side. What seemed like a few minutes turned out to be two days before the strange woman brought him back to life. That woman! She was the one who put the spell on him! She was the one who controlled him! A feeling of anger welled up inside of him. He then calmed himself down, fearing that he would worry Reya. He grabbed her arms and realized one of them was bandaged. He looked at it...a feeling of guilt drilling into his heart.

"Did I do that to you?" he asked asked as he stared at the bandages that encircled her small, delicate arm.

"Yeah...but technically it wasn't you-" she grabbed her arm and looked at him with concerned eyes as he cut her off.

"How could I be so stupid! Hurting you like that!" Aiden clenched his fists in anger.

"Aiden...it wasn't your fault. You were being controlled. I should be the one asking how you're doing." she placed her hands on his chest in reassurance, wondering why he was out of bed and not resting.

"I'm...okay." Aiden grew silent and Reya hugged him tightly.

"Why aren't you in bed? Your wounds haven't fully healed yet and you must still be exhausted!"

"I'm fine, really. I just...couldn't stop thinking of you. When the apothecary told me you were here, I had to see you. I just...can't believe I'm alive. It almost makes you think if there's a catch."

"What? No! You can't disappear! Not again!" she buried her head in his chest, holding him as tightly as she could.

Aiden ran his fingers through Reya's dark brown hair.

"Don't worry...I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"I'm just glad you're alive...that's all I want." she continued to hold onto him. Praying that she would stay with him forever.

"Reya...I'm so sorry. You must have gone through a lot after that day..." memories of that awful day flashed into Aiden's mind. He felt so sorry for her. What happened that day after he died? Did Reya kill the demon? Or did he escape?

"Yeah...it was hard, but that demon got what was coming to him. Even...even if at one point he was our friend." a look of sadness clouded Reya's eyes.

"Friend? I wouldn't of called Muso MY friend. He was such an asshole! To think he was a demon all this time...bastard got what he deserved for hurting you like that."

"I guess..."

It got quiet between the two again when Clouse and Risa entered the courtyard from a gate near the city.

"Reya! We gotta go! There's trouble in the city, there is an evil demon holding a little boy hostage and...um...am I interrupting?"

Clouse and Risa just stared at the two embracing each other. They both blushed bright red and quickly got off each other. Clouse and Risa's eyes widened when they realized who the boy was.

"Aiden! Oh my god you're awake! How are you feeling man!"

"Hey Clouse...Risa...how are you guys? Sorry for worrying you like that."

"No worries! However, we have a big problem! Reya we have to go, now!"

"Why? What's going on Clouse?" Reya looked at him with worried eyes.

"There's some kind of demon disguised as a human. He is holding a little boy hostage and yelling 'Find the pendent bearer or this child dies!' or something like that. We have to go help him!"

"Okay, Aiden stay here, your wounds haven't fully healed and another fight won't do you any good. Hopefully all will go well and no one gets hurt."

"Let me come too. I'll help."

"No...I won't lose you again...not after what happened that day. Please...just stay here." she ran off with Clouse and Risa, then disappeared from sight. As Reya, Clouse and Risa ran past the palace to the town center, they ran into Councilman Reese.

"Councilman Reese! Do me a huge favor and go make sure that Aiden doesn't leave our room. He is no condition to fight and needs to rest."

"Very well, heroine. I will do as you command."

"If I find out he has left, I will hold you responsible! Trust me...you do NOT want to piss me off. Got it?"

Councilman Reese just stood there. He nodded and ran to the palace.

"Reya...don't you think that was a bit much?" Risa asked

"Nope. He'll be fine as long as he does that simple task.

A humorous sigh came from Clouse.

"Yeah, but his is Aiden we're talking about. You know how stubborn he can be. I'm sure he'll think of a clever way to get by him."

They continued walking towards the crowd, wondering what to expect when they got there.

Aiden didn't want to stay. He wanted to go with the others. He quickly went inside and got dressed into some clothes and picked up his sword.

"You're not thinking about leaving are you? Your wounds haven't healed yet." a shrill voice scared Aiden and he quickly turned around.

"Who are you?" Aiden asked

"I am Councilman Reese. I have been sent by the emperor and your Shura friend to make sure you don't leave this room."

"They might need my help. I'm going too." Aiden placed his sword in its hilt and made his way to the door. Councilman Reese, realizing what he was doing, got in front of him and gave Aiden a stern look.

"I can not break a promise, Mr. Aiden. Miss Reya will have my hide if I let you go."

"Well...what if I asked you nicely? Will that work?"

Councilman Reese shook his head in a dismissive manner. "Absolutely not!"

"Well this is a problem. Guess I have no choice then do I?"

"Yes. You must stay here and let your wounds heal. A warrior who doesn't rest is a dead warrior, I always say. A warrior has a duty to the people and for their-" he continued to lecture on, giving Aiden a perfect chance to escape. He ran through the courtyard when he heard Councilman Reese yelling at him.

"Mr. Aiden! Come back! You can't go, it's too dangerous! Mr. Aiden!"

"Sorry! I need to go get some training in. I'll apologize to Reya for you!" he ran out the gate and headed for town square. He heard screaming coming from the north so he headed in that direction. As he got closer and closer, he heard Reya's voice in the distance.

"Let the boy go! Who are you?"

He finally took a sharp right turn towards the commotion when he finally saw the large crow of people. Reya, Clouse and Risa were in the front looking up. Aiden glanced up and saw a man holding on to a small boy. The little boy was crying out to his mother, who was screaming out to him as well.

"Listen up! If you don't want the boy to die, you'll do as I say. Got it?" he held a blade to the boy's throat.

"Don't hurt him! Okay. What do you want?" Reya gave the signal for everyone to calm down and put away their weapons.

"I want you pendent. Now give it to me!"

"My pendent! What the hell is so special about it? Everyone wants this damn thing! Why?" Reya clenched her mother's pendent in anger.

"You don't know? Well now it all makes sense! And here I thought you were the daughter of Layle and Udinae...guess I was mistaken."

"How do you know about my parents?" Reya yelled in shock

"Reya!" Clouse, Risa and Reya turned around to see Aiden making his way through the crowd. He gets through and stands next to Reya, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he looked up at the kidnapper and began to shake his fist at him. "Who the **** are you? What do you want with Reya!"

"hahahahaha, well well well, if it isn't the little pawn we used to get that pendent. Glad to see you back on your feet. Hey, why don't you come help me out here. hahahahaha." he just continued to laugh in an obnoxious manner.

"Quit braying like a damn donkey and tell us what the hell you want!" Reya yelled.

"And why should we, halfbreed?" another voice was heard and right next to the man was a woman. Clad in a dark pink dress she had purple face tattoos and long brown hair. She looked at Reya with ominous eyes and gave off a smirk of disgust.

"YOU! What do you want with Reya?" Aiden shouted at the woman, hands on his blade ready to unsheathe it.

"Simple. She gives me the pendent, and I'll let the little boy go. Now...give it to me." she held out her hand in anticipation. A look of victory plastered on her face.

"Who are you?" Reya asked. Angry that so many demons wanted her pendent so badly.

"You want to know? Then come to the Ferrel Family Crypt. All your pathetic questions will be answered. Don't come and the boy, along with all the other children I've taken, will die."

"You tell me about my pendent NOW! I'm tired of playing games with you!" Reya was ready to charge at her but then stopped herself. Realizing that she would put the little boy in more danger than normal.

"Hahahahaha...all in good time halfbreed...all in good time."

"STOOOOOOP!" Reya tried her best but they both disappeared in a grey smoke...taking the boy with them.

"No..." Reya's head just slumped down. She failed that mother who's child was in danger...she couldn't do anything but watch as he was taken away by yet another demon who wanted the pendent.

Aiden clenched his fists in anger as he watched helplessly as Reya blamed herself for what happened. What did these demons want with a simple pendent? As long as she had the pendent, she would continuously by in danger. He walked over to Reya and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, her eyes full of sorrow and anger.

"I couldn't save him...what am I going to tell the mother?" she just walked into him, her forehead resting on his chest.

"It's okay...we'll get them. Don't worry about a thing." he held her close trying to reassure her that it wasn't her fault.

"What do we do?" Reya asked between mild whimpers.

"We'll go after them...and then...we WILL kill her."

_**(Wow that took a while to write. This is probably the longest one I have done! I mostly wanted to bring out the scene between Reya and Aiden. Overall I hope you all liked it and I hope it made up for the long wait. Who is the strange woman and what is she up to? Who is the other boy that Phoenix has sent to serve this woman? Guess we'll find out in the next chapter. Well review, comment, and rate. Look forward to the next one! ^.^ Next Chapter: Pursuit)**_


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